1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to image management systems and image management apparatuses and, more particularly, to a technique for enhancing information security in a situation where a portable terminal is used as an interface for an image processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Increasing electronification of information of recent years makes printers and facsimiles used in outputting electronified information and image processing apparatuses, such as scanners, used in electronifying documents indispensable. Such an image processing apparatus is often constructed into a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having an image capturing function, an image forming function, a communication function, and or the like and therefore usable as a printer, a facsimile, a scanner, and or a copier.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2007-296661 discloses an example of a system including such an image processing apparatus and configured such that the image processing apparatus downloads a data set from data sets deposited in a server and performs printing of the downloaded data set. Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2007-296661 proposes a technique for increasing information security of data transfer of the to-be-printed data.
Meanwhile, functionality improvement of mobile phones over recent years has led to proliferation of smart phones having information processing capability similar to that of PCs and portable information processing devices such as tablet personal computers (PCs). Hereinafter, such smart phones and portable information processing devices are referred to as “portable terminals”.
Such a portable terminal typically includes interfaces for a touch panel, a global positioning system (GPS) function, an accelerometer, a wireless communication function, and the like and is usable for various purposes which depend on functions provided by software programs (program applications) installed in the portable terminal. Accordingly, the portable terminal may be used as a display panel for manipulating such an image processing apparatus as described above.
Some type of image processing apparatus includes an operating unit which is formed only of a small liquid crystal display and simple hard keys, for example, and therefore poor in operability. Accordingly, it is worthwhile to use a portable terminal, interfaces of which are configurable using a touch panel and applications, as an operating unit of an image processing apparatus.
Assume a situation where such a system in which a portable terminal is used as an operating unit of an image processing apparatus is linked with another apparatus (server) via a network as in the technique disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2007-296661. With this system, a user needs to be authenticated before the user accesses information stored in the server or utilizes a function provided by the server. Because the portable terminal is used as a user interface, it is necessary to make authentication results consistent among the three devices, which are the image processing apparatus, the server, and the portable terminal.
The above-described necessity will not arise in a configuration in which: an image processing apparatus and a portable terminal are one-to-one communicable; the portable terminal operates in relation only to the image processing apparatus or, in other words, the portable terminal transfers operational information only to and from the image processing apparatus; and the server is accessed only by the image processing apparatus. This is because authentication to access the server is required only between the server and the image processing apparatus.
However, to allow the image processing apparatus to transfer operational information to and from the portable terminal, it is necessary to add a function therefor to the image processing apparatus. However, an image processing apparatus having such a function is generally equipped with ample operating units including a touch panel. Accordingly, using a portable terminal as an operating unit of such an image processing apparatus will be less worthwhile.
Under the circumstances, there is a need for a technique which, in a situation where a terminal controlled independently of an image processing apparatus is used as an operating unit of the image processing apparatus, enhances information security in authentication of another device.
It is an object of the present invention to at least partially solve the problem in the conventional technology.